Hey yall!

Happy Sunday and thanks for all the well wishes. I'm afraid my peril of sickness was more than just a mere cold. I got that evil bronchitis, who knew. So I have been feeling terrible now for almost a solid two weeks, and it's not even true cold and flu season yet. Yippee.

As for last chapter, again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all your praise and thoughts and comments. I hope you know that I read each and every comment thoroughly (probably no less than 10 times), and it legitimately helps me in the writing process – knowing that what I'm intending to dictate, where they are in their relationship, the struggles they are facing – if that's properly coming across or not to you as a reader. So while I know that my more, heh heh, steamy chapters will pull in more comments because we all love those moments where our blockhead couple gets it right for a change – I love the feedback and thoughts for the more subdued chapters, where we get through more plot and character development.

All that to say, that as always, I will thoroughly again declare that I have the best readers on the entire site. Yall keep me writing!

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Petra was staring into the diagram, eyes narrowed as she used her other hand to flip through an adjacent folder, comparing notes between the two pages when a knock caught her attention.

Before she could even respond, her door creaked open and Levi peered into her room.

"Hey, Captain." She greeted simply, looking back at the papers in front of her almost immediately. She wasn't trying to give him the cold shoulder anymore, she just didn't want to lose her focus. Many of these documents were the same ones she had reviewed not so long ago with him, so while they were already fairly familiar to her, she reviewed each line carefully, because there had to be something she had missed – an angle that no one had thought to consider that might just change everything.

"Your door was unlocked…" he stated in question, and Petra felt a smile creep onto her lips.

"Yeah? Well perhaps I was hoping that I might end up having company."

"I see." Levi walked further into her room, resting back against her dresser as he looked down at her to where she was seated on the floor, "Even still, you're up late. Curfew was a few hours ago you know – I was actually expecting you to be in bed already."

"Checking up on me?"

He shrugged passively and Petra nodded, still staring into the papers in a focused manner, "Yeah sorry, I just really want a solid head start on this is all. See if there's anything that maybe takes me by surprise – perhaps something I didn't look over as well as I should have; you know, just find a good angle of attack I suppose. I didn't think I'd actually be up this late."

"I understand, just don't make a habit of it. Curfew is in place for a reason."

She glanced up toward him for a mere moment, a light smirk on her face, "Oh but aren't you setting a wonderful example?"

Levi merely gave a 'hmph' and after a few passing moments of comfortable silence, Petra groaned as she set the folder down and rubbed her eyes in protest, admittedly exhausted because all the numbers were starting to look the same.

"You know what irritates me, Captain?"

"…Oluo."

"Well, yes," she agreed after a moment of thought, smiling at his cheeky words before shaking her head, "But no. No, what drives me insane is that we just looked at this. I know that the solution is out there, I just…" she groaned and shook the folder slightly, "Ugh, I just don't know where the right numbers are hiding!"

Levi merely watched her in silence, and she returned back to the papers in front of her, a focused expression across her face.

Neither felt the need to speak just for the mere sake of speaking, Petra busy with her work, Levi not bothered by the silence, so the two continued to remain in the other's company; enjoying the simplicity of their presence alone without the need to force conversation or entertain the other.

For some time Levi had stood against her dresser, watching her work passively, though eventually they both moved to more comfortable positions. At first Levi had shifted to where he was sitting on the middle of her bed, and Petra continued to make passing comments about her findings and further frustrations or theories she had. As the night progressed even further, he eventually laid out over the expanse of her bed – something Petra didn't even notice until she had to adjust her own position on the floor because her back was getting rather stiff from sitting hunched over for so long.

When she saw her Captain lounging out across her bed, an arm resting over his eyes in attempt to block out the light, she couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips, certain that very few would ever see Levi so…relaxed. The fact he felt so comfortable around her that he could relax so freely, spoke volumes of his trust, and a blush rose to her cheeks as she surveyed his stretched-out form.

Deciding that perhaps a break was in order, she set her papers down and crawled to the edge of her bed, sitting up on her knees and watching him from the floor for a long moment, admittedly grateful for the change of pace. She was about to speak, ask him some menial question about if her bed was more comfortable than his, when he gave a long sigh of an exhale and Petra blinked, realizing that he had actually fallen asleep.

She had seen him asleep multiple times before, but that had been when he was sick and his sleep lacked the peaceful calm that he had now. His lips were slightly parted, his breathing low and even - she would have killed to see what he looked like asleep like this, without his arm blocking the majority of his face from view, but she knew full well that the moment she tried to move his arm he'd probably crush her hand in outright surprise from being woken so suddenly. She doubted he had even intended on falling asleep to begin with, but she supposed it was getting rather late and leadership had only recently returned from their long journey less than three days ago.

He must have been exhausted.

She gave a sigh and continued watching him, shaking her head as thoughts rose within her mind. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't even stopped to ask why he had come to her that night. Though they spent almost every evening together in his office, for obvious reasons they didn't traditionally visit each other in their private bedrooms. While it wasn't uncommon for Levi to walk her to her bedroom at night or have a short conversation with her about this or that, he made a point of not lingering, especially after the night where she had so clumsily attempted to all-out seduce him in her emotional stupor. It was more than just to keep gossip at bay, it was because they themselves were still trying to walk that blurred line over what was appropriate, what felt comfortable, what they wanted in their testing and pushing of the other's boundaries, and what all out crossed the line for one or both of them.

It was exhausting, now that she thought it all over, because she knew full well that if Levi asked her outright what she wanted, in words she would have likely responded even now that she didn't want anything from him. They had both agreed from day one that they didn't want any strings attached, wanted to avoid a complicated relationship, and it was easier when things were just kept strictly professional. It was easy. While there was a lining of truth to that considering she did enjoy their current work relationship…

Petra frowned and shook her head sadly.

"It's all just a lie." she whispered softly into the night air, finding that some part of her needed to say these things to him because to deny them even now was just…confusing. She spoke softly, so softly that he wouldn't wake up, but perhaps…maybe some part of his subconscious would hear her words and know. She wanted to believe that if he ever doubted her or questioned where she really stood, some part of him might remember her words and take comfort in them, because she would never be able to say such words directly to him – not with things as they were now. They were both uncertain and didn't want to hurt the other, nor did they want to damage…whatever it was that they did have.

"Honestly Levi, six months ago it was completely true, and I never wanted a relationship with you or anyone – but especially not with you, because you just seemed so above me, not to mention your rank, and your status as my Commanding Officer…Gods, never with you." she gave a quiet sigh and shook her head mournfully, "But then the stupid marriage happened, and Captain….you were wrong. Have you figured that out yet, I wonder?"

She swallowed and gave him a forgiving smile that he would never see, "You were so wrong about everything, and here I was, stupid enough to believe you. You're Captain Levi, so of course you'd be right, right? I mean, you're always right."

She gave a quiet laugh, but her smile fell as she watched him with a sort of growing melancholy, because the more she thought it over, the more gloomy it made her feel, "You said nothing would change, but everything has changed. You said you would be my Captain and that I would be your subordinate, same as always – so why then, Captain - why is it that you are so much more to me than just my Captain now? I mean, look at us, right now - you're asleep on my bed, and I'm whispering nonsense in your ear like we're…like we're lovers or something. The Levi I knew six months ago wouldn't even come near my bed, so how is any of this not changed?"

She couldn't stop the impulse and carefully, gently brushed her fingers through his tidy hair, ensuring she was still careful and her touch a mere whisper that wouldn't pull him out of his slumber, "And what's more, I crave you now, like some sort of drug addict or something. I want your attention, and your time, and your touch, and your kiss – gods, your kiss." She groaned to herself in a whisper, blushing even though no one else would hear her words but her, "The way you kiss me makes me so damn confused, because you say you want to be alone, but…everything else about you says that you don't, and then I…" she groaned again, "Why in heaven's name do you have to be so damn attractive? It's just not fair! Would it kill you to tone down on the masculinity every once in a while? I'm trying to behave, just like you said, because I know that would make everything ten times more complicated and it's a bad time to try and start that battle, but then you keep distracting me and reeling me in because it's you and -"

She continued running her hand ever so gently through his hair, listening to his breathing to ensure that it remained unlabored and even, as she didn't want her musings to be overheard by him or anyone else.

She paused for a moment and watched him in question mournfully, "And just what am I supposed to do? I don't know what my feelings are any more, and I certainly have no idea what yours are – and honestly, I'm afraid to ask, because I don't know what I want to hear the most. I'm glad that I mean more than nothing to you, and yesterday you admitted that you even cared for me, but that's still so vague. Is it possible…for you to perhaps, maybe…love, someone like me? And if so, is that even the direction you'd want things to go? Is that where I want things to go? I'm not…" she exhaled sadly and shook her head in indecision, "I'm not so sure anymore. When you said we'd get married I was so certain, because it all seemed so black and white and it made just enough sense in the chaos to sound like a perfect solution. I was tunnel visioned, so focused on just getting to stay in the military that I didn't think about the possibilities or the consequences. But now, now I'm not sure about anything anymore…"

She looked back at her sleeping Captain, and gave a small shadow of a smile, leaning toward him and whispering even more quietly to account for her sudden closeness. It was strange, but as she spoke the thoughts that had clouded her mind for so long now, all she wanted was to be close to him – the man that had aligned his life to hers and was just as much along for the ride as she was; the only man that would truly understand her heart for he had been right there with her, through the fire and confusion and growing pains, step for step.

She bit her lower lip and grinned at her quiet secret, "Well…I suppose there is one thing I know for certain, Captain: You're not ever going to have to worry about me chasing after someone else, or sneaking around or embarrassing you by being unfaithful."

She gave another pitiful laugh and shrugged at the truth of it all, "…No thanks to you, Levi, you're it. You're the only man I'll ever want to chase after, the only man that I'll want to stand beside, and the only man that I'll ever want to be with when-"

She trailed off as she watched him, and before she even knew what she was doing, she had leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

She kissed him firmly, more firmly than she had before in his office or in the hall, because after spilling her heart and admitting the words that had been plaguing her relentlessly over the past few months, she knew that in that moment, if only for that moment, Levi was all she wanted and she would be damned if she didn't make good on it at least this one time.

Levi jolted to life in alarm, and as though expecting him to retaliate negatively, Petra had already laced her fingers through his hand, pushing his arm up from off his face and toward the head of the bed so he wouldn't be tempted to take a swing at her from sheer surprise. His eyes were wide as Petra continued kissing him, emboldened by his response when he merely returned her kiss passionately without a second thought, not needing to ask for explanation or demand to know what she was doing, apparently just so contented with her kiss that the why's simply didn't matter.

She shifted her weight off the floor and crawled onto her bed effortlessly, hardly even thinking twice before she moved directly on top of him, hovering over his stomach and leaning over him to kiss him desperately, her hand still entwined in his as she placed her free hand across the mattress to hold herself up.

Levi used his free hand and ran his fingers up her arm that was pressed into the mattress ever so slightly, down her side and settling at her waist, the gentleness of his ghost-like caress making her skin tingle and a pleasant warmth run across her body in response. As he pushed his neck upward to meet her kiss, he paused and took a moment to look at her body that was hovering directly over his, amused and intrigued that she was so bold as to outright climb on top of him, even going as far as to hold his arm up above his head in a sort of dominant display. He smirked as his eyes trailed back up to her face slowly and he traced his fingers over her jawline, "Hell of a way to wake a man, Petra."

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her arm out from beneath her, earning a slight squeak from Petra as she fell downward, having been using that arm to hold herself up previously. Levi caught her by the shoulder before she fell completely and smirked at her breathless expression. Before she could react further, he pulled her down on top of him directly, shifting them both onto their sides in the next moment so their position was a little less intimate as they laid out across her mattress instead.

He had originally intended to switch their positions entirely, eager to pull her onto her back and align his body above hers, hold her arms tightly above her head and feel her smooth curves press against him as she breathed, feel her arch into him or twist up against him as she tested his strength, but as she simply laid beside him, breathless and beautiful and smiling sweetly, he found he was content just to be at her side.

He pulled her against his chest, fingers twisting into her hair while his other hand rested at the small of her back, pushing her closer toward him as she brought her hands to his face, pulling him to meet her lips delicately, a sweetness and a calm to her actions. Their actions were different than they had ever been previously, neither driven by lust so much as comfort, trust, and acceptance of the other. They continued kissing softly, whispering unhurried and gentle encouragements and exchanging quiet moans that cut through the silence of the night, neither trying to push the boundaries any farther than their lips meeting because not so far off was the rest of the squad's dorm room. Even though they had every 'right' to behave however they wanted within the confines of their marriage, they weren't exactly ready to be caught, because the squad would want answers to the very same questions they themselves had been expertly avoiding for so long now.

Eventually, Petra was laying against her mattress, her back pressed against Levi's chest as he held her simply, their previous affections coming to a gentle and unhurried end, both content to just remain in each other's arms because a certain Captain would have to retire back to his quarters sooner rather than later and they were both putting off goodbye.

It was as they were relaxed against Petra's bed peacefully that Levi had lifted his head slightly, only somewhat paying attention as he moved his arm upward, remembering that there was still a conversation he had wanted to have with her before he took his leave for the night and before she outright fell asleep in his arms. As he sat up just slightly, up and onto his side, he had intended to grab her shoulder and change her position; move her onto her back so he could look at her and explain his thoughts while able to meet her gaze directly, but as he was lost in his own thoughts and misread the curve of her body, he found that as his hand moved upward to grab her opposite shoulder – it wasn't her shoulder that he grabbed.

No, the mound that was in his hand was soft, pleasantly warm, and molded perfectly, desirably into his hold – he released his grip immediately because it was obvious that was no shoulder, but the damage was done.

They both went rigid, because even though it had been an honest mistake, there had been an undeniable level of….squeezing that occurred, as he had intended to grab her and turn her toward him, and what was worse, the sharp gasp that she had taken, the air that filled her lungs from her warranted surprise, had only made her press herself even further into his hold. He clamped his eyes shut and raked the offending hand through his hair, admittedly rather mortified by his mistake because it was undeniable that he had wanted to touch her in such ways, but not…never like that.

All at once he could see visions of Petra, storming to Erwin's office, arms crossed over her chest as she explained in embarrassment and tears that she had been outright assaulted. His own wife would have to file a restraining order against him. Erwin would demote him then and there, and Petra would be off his squad faster than he could say 'Fuck.' After that, the men would try to murder him in his sleep for weeks on end because of what he had done. Worse still…they'd never come to perfect the Omega formation.

His mind continued to produce new scenarios of the aftermath, each worse than the last, and he knew he had to fix this before the worst should happen.

He held his hand up, far away from her body and groaned in utter remorse, "Fuck, sorry Petra, honest I just meant to-"

She still had yet to move, and he could only imagine the expression on her face because her neck was burning red to the extent he could feel heat radiating off her skin, so he knew full well that her face had already darkened to match. He was about to reach toward her again, in attempts to correct the situation and apologize directly to her face, but instead dropped his hand to his side, hesitant to touch her after committing such a blunder. He swallowed thickly, finding his throat felt tight as a palpable nervousness overcame him.

"I was trying to-"

Before he could finish his attempt at an explanation, Petra spoke up, her voice a faraway mumble, "I would have never guessed that you would go so low as to cop a feel, but then again-"

"No!" he cut her off, words flying out of his mouth before he could think them over appropriately, "It's not like that! If you, fuck…look, if it makes you feel better, maybe you can grab me or-"

"What?" Petra squeaked immediately in a mortified whisper, instantly sitting up from the bed and turning around to watch him in shock, her face positively glowing red from embarrassment at his suggestion, "I was…I was kidding Levi, I know it was an accident so I wasn't going to…" she shook her head and blinked with considerably wide eyes, "And grab you where exactly?!"

At her startled, stammering question, Levi gave her a blank, 'Oh shit' stare, and at his horrified, open mouthed, completely caught off guard expression, Petra's embarrassment left her at once because the expression on his face was so…unlike Levi that she couldn't take him seriously. As much as she was embarrassed and taken aback by his brazen touch, having been outright grabbed and fondled by her own Captain without warning…she began laughing outright, because his expression, the circumstance, his 'solution' to make it right - was just too much.

Her shoulders heaved as the hilarity of the situation overwhelmed her, laughter continuing to bubble up from her chest the more she thought about it, and while at first Levi could only glare at her laughter, finding it irritating how often Petra seemed to be laughing at his expense as of late, he supposed this time he had brought it on himself, and eventually a smile pulled at his lips that evolved into a slight chuckle of his own. He supposed that there was a bit of humor in the situation, and he should count himself lucky that Petra was letting him off the hook so easily.

Her laughter eventually died down and she crawled toward him warmly, wrapping her arms around his neck and smirking, her voice low and smug as she questioned him, "Alright…So tell me Levi, how was it?"

Levi blinked at her question in shock, because surely she couldn't be asking him what he thought she was, but when her smirk only grew more pronounced and she watched him with a raised brow expectantly – he sighed, but was unable to help the smirk that pulled at his lips in return.

He allowed his hands to trail down her sides, coming to rest against her hips and he didn't even try to hide when he stole a long glance down at her chest. He took his time as he looked at her form, and eventually he looked back up at her with an honest, contented sigh, "…Really fucking nice."

Petra merely nodded once with a smile of her own, "Good answer."

...

...

After a bit more laughter, some more wise cracks on Petra's part on how he was just a perverted old man, Levi eventually cleared his throat and allowed his expression to sober.

"It's far, far past curfew now, and we both need to get some sleep. Before I go though, there's something I want to say."

Petra had previously resumed laying back across the bed while they spoke light heartedly, however at his more serious expression, she blinked and sat up slowly, nodding toward him in question, "Oh. Of course, Captain."

He looked at her directly, "I don't like that you are choosing to disregard my advice. I find it aggravating that you have praised my role as your direct Captain, how I've handled my squad, as well as how I've handled you specifically, to such an extent that you trust me with your very life because of it. Come the time where your words should be backed with action – you trust me, so you choose to follow my lead even when you don't understand or agree – it seems as though you were all talk because all your praise amounted to nothing."

Petra opened her mouth to respond, though gave a sigh in knowing that he wasn't yet finished and fell silent without his having to tell her. He continued, "You once told me that you don't like to watch me suffer or be in pain – you need to understand that you aren't the only one who feels that way, as I get no pleasure in watching you, or anyone else I care about, suffer. I have the experience to know what's up ahead should you go down that path, and Petra, it's not pretty. It bothers me to no end that no matter what angle I try to approach this from, you are too damn stubborn to listen to me."

She gave a soft nod and looked down into her bed with a guilty expression, and finally, Levi gave a long sigh, "…Do your best, Petra."

Hearing his words, her mouth parted in surprise and she blinked, slowly looking back up toward him with wide eyes, "Do my best? Captain, is this…are you giving me your blessing?"

His eyes narrowed as though she had missed the point completely, and he scoffed, "No. Fuck no. I already told you that my opinion won't be changing, and I meant it. I know a bad idea when I see one and this one screams regret. But even still, I know full well that this is the path you've chosen and nothing I do will steer you off from it. Because of that, I'm telling you to give it all you've got. If you absolutely must do this, then you'd better put every part of yourself into it because that's the only way you're going to get any results. You have to be intentional and push yourself daily – thinking past what Erwin already achieved is no easy feat."

She was grinning ear to ear, and he merely rolled his eyes because her cheerful response only solidified his suspicion that she had no damn clue what she was in for. She nodded in determination, "Yes, yes of course Captain. I won't let you down, I'll make you proud. I swear it."

He stood up from her bed with a nod, "I could care less about that, Petra - just be careful to not overdo it. You play an important role on my squad, and that comes first. How you go about your research is up to you, but if you need anything from me, just say the word and I'll see that you have it."

Petra gave a small laugh, her expression strange as she looked into her bed with a shy sort of smile, a blush rising to her cheeks.

"…What?" he asked in confusion, and Petra bit her lower lip as her smile widened all the more.

She gave a small laugh, shaking her head in wonder and laughing to herself, "I just don't get it. You're so cool, Captain. How do I…" she trailed off and sighed happily, staring right at him as she spoke, "I don't know, I am just so happy that I know you."

His mouth fell open at her simple statement, and he shook his head, finding that once again - as he had been many times before when confronted with Petra and her ardent devotion to him - he was speechless.

He moved toward her door and nodded simply, "Good night, Petra."

"Goodnight…Captain."

He closed the door behind himself, and only when he was a safe distance from the door did he allow a smirk to come to his face as he reran the night through his mind.

Unbeknownst to Petra…

He had heard her.

Granted, he didn't know how much he had heard considering he had been asleep, but what he had heard had been more than enough to make his mind wander. He had been sleeping when her voice reached him; she had been playing with his hair as her fingertips ran over his scalp pleasantly, and that's what had caused him to stir. Even still, simply knowing she was there, saying who knows what but sounding so close to him – he would have been more than content to fall back asleep and leave it at that, being none the wiser to what secrets she was confiding to the night air.

However, the sound of her voice began to clarify into words, and once he had registered what was being said, he was instantly awake, but wise enough to intentionally feign sleep because with what she was saying, he knew that the second he 'woke up' she would stop immediately and berate him in all-out embarrassment for eavesdropping, even though she had been the one stupid enough to say those things a mere foot away from him.

She had been admitting, lamenting – out loud no less – that she found him to be attractive, immensely so, and that alone had almost ruined his guise right then and there because there was an undeniable pull at his lips that would have formed a proud, smug smirk under any other circumstance.

As much as he had enjoyed hearing her say such things, undeniably stroking his ego to some extent as she talked about the ways he impacted her with his behavior or touch, more than that, he found he was actually relieved, because while Petra had always received him well enough when he kissed her or touched her, he wasn't sure if it was simply because she found him attractive, or if it was because he was just convenient, considering that to some extent…he was her one and only option.

Granted it wasn't the first time that Petra had told him that she thought he was attractive – she had said something to that extent the night of the banquet, but he had written off her words at the time, because she had explained in the very same breath that she also found Eld and Gunther to be attractive, so he didn't exactly take her statement as anything more than a 'nice' thing to say.

Now though, now he believed her.

The smirk on his mouth only grew more pronounced at the memory as he thought about the frustration and shyness she spoke with, but then he sighed, because she hadn't stopped there – and what she had admitted after that made her previous words pale in significance. What she had whispered to him, so quietly and so tenderly, it made his mind spin.

She had asked so many questions – questions that they had both been dancing around and trying to avoid – but it seemed neither would be able to avoid it for much longer because they would only be able to dance in the shadows for so long before something pulled them into the light. She had confessed that she didn't know how she felt about him anymore, and that she was too fearful to ask what he felt for her, in fear of what the answer would be. What she had asked him next had all but caused his heart to skip a beat from sheer surprise, and for a moment he had almost wished that he was asleep, because it was easier not knowing, and not having to force his mind to dwell on all that had changed between them.

She had asked in such a soft, serene whisper if it was possible for him to love her.

Even now, the mere notion made his mind blank, because what the hell did he know about love? He could say that he had friends that he loved in his lifetime, he had loved his mom to be sure, but even still… he had never had that sort of relationship with someone before – a romantic love.

Not once.

What boggled his mind and made his heart race was the underlying notion that Petra, perhaps, wanted his love.

Was that even possible?

What would that even look like? Assuming he had such an ability, assuming he could learn to love, or accept love from another, how was he to express such a thing? Like Petra had stated, was that what either of them even wanted? What the hell would 'love' do for either of them?

The concept was impossible to wrap his mind around, and the more he thought about it, the more he found that she legitimately frustrated him.

There were times that she almost pissed him off with how she trusted him so blindly, because it was like she was being intentionally foolish, chasing after someone like him, and yet he knew full well that Petra was no fool. Most people innately seemed to understand that he was dangerous; that he was different. People tended to steer clear of him when given the option, and those that were forced to work beside him often watched him with obvious mistrust for years on end because they could just sense that something wasn't right with him. If their sheer instincts didn't encourage them to avoid him, his previous record from back in the Underground would, that, or his generally disliked personality.

Even still, Petra was stubborn and pursued him all the more, and it made it damn near impossible for him to shut her out, because he simply couldn't. Her words had resonated when she had compared him to a drug, because Petra was good. He simply knew her to be good, through and through, and in his life that was full of hell and death and blood, he was drawn to her and the promise of newness and life that was so devoid from all around him, much like a drug that he didn't want, but desperately needed. She had whispered so close to him, her voice content but firm with resolve, that he was the only man she would ever truly want, before kissing him so passionately that it had actually shocked him, and just like that, he was kissing her because how could he not.

It was Petra.

Her next question had been just as important before she had kissed him and it made his throat feel tight and dry as he tried to find the answer within himself, because frustrating or not, he found himself mentally revisiting the question, because it really was the question. Petra. Loving Petra…Was that what he wanted? Did he want to love her? Could he even love her? What was more, did they actually want to go there? They had both sworn once that they didn't want a relationship, and yet…he knew full well that things were different now. He had changed. Petra had changed. Being in a relationship, whatever the hell that even meant, with someone like him…was that really what she wanted?

He walked down the hall and frowned, finding that like Petra…he didn't know.

He just didn't know.

…

End of Chapter

…

Confessions of a sick author – I really hate how the Levi section is actually here in this same chapter as Petra's own musings. Like, really really hate it. The benefit of writing ahead (still trying to finish Chapter 48, lord help me because I've been stuck on this one chapter for three weeks now) is that yall don't have to worry about whether there's material at the ready or not come Sunday. Of course there is, I'm literally ahead of yall by 10+ chapters!

Bummer however is, that formatting doesn't always come out the best – something that I've lamented about before. I write what needs to be written, then I go back later and divide them as best I can into a chapter somewhere between four and seven thousand words. Ish. Don't know if that's the proper writing technique, but it's how I've been trucking along.

Sometimes smaller thoughts and sections like this, where Levi has a mental review of Petra's rather intense confessions – important as they are – get stuck at the 'end' or 'beginning' of an obvious chapter segment, because they are very important, but much too small to be a chapter on their own.

I feel it lessens the significance of both almost – of Petra's soft thoughts that she would have NEVER said had she known Levi was awake, and then takes the punch out of Levi's, because who knew he had actually heard everything? Ah, but I digress. Just how the formatting worked here. Perhaps it was meant to be.

Apologies as I know I'm rather long winded in my notes today, but for my American friends, happy Thanksgiving from me to you! Enjoy time with family and friends! Happy holidays yall!

~Midnight

(Ps – Random thought, but I love the alternative title suggestions. Keep em coming!)